JBL grows its AirPlay 2 lineup with a $400 sound bar and $3,000 amplifier

Jbl Sa750 Airplay2 Amp (Image credit: JBL)

What you need to know

JBL has announced the Bar 5.0 MultiBeam Soundbar with AirPlay 2 support.
The JBL SA750 is a new audio amp with AirPlay 2 support built-in.

Ahead of CES 2021, JBL has announced a slew of new products, but two of them, in particular, will be of interest to readers of iMore – because they support Apple's AirPlay 2.

Starting with the impressive SA750 we have a retro-inspired audio amp that looks, in my opinion, absolutely stunning. But it does more than just look good.

The JBL SA750 Integrated Amplifier features an iconic retro-inspired milled aluminum face panel with luxurious volume, balance and input dials and hefty switches for power, mute, direct, MC/MM phono, and Dirac Live room calibration. The face panel includes a 3.5mm Aux input and 3.5mm Headphones output, plus a 2-line orange display screen. The look is completed by classic teak-wood veneer side panels to match the new anniversary edition JBL L100 Classic 75 loudspeakers - also debuting at HARMAN ExPLORE.

Add that to the WiFi and Ethernet connectivity for connecting to your home network and you have more than enough to help justify the $3,000 asking price. You can't get one yet though – availability isn't until April.

Next up is the JBL Bar 5.0 MultiBeam, a soundbar that supports all the usual array of audio formats including Dolby Atmos. JBL reckons this thing can fill a room with sound even without the need for a subwoofer. And, of course, there's the addition of AirPlay 2 support as well.

Equipped with four passive radiators for deep and punchy bass, the Bar 5.0 produces clear, heightened and room filling JBL 3D Surround Sound, without the need for an additional subwoofer. Highlighted within the Bar 5.0 is HARMAN's MultiBeam technology that enables users to hear and feel surround sound without needing additional surround speakers, generating an immersive listening experience. In addition, Virtual Dolby Atmos allows the Bar 5.0 to reproduce the audio height dimensions from a movie or TV show, turning any living space into a 3D personal theater.

The sound bar will cost $399.95 when it goes on sale later this Spring.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.